And just like that, it was all over again. This is a show that I have been consistently entertained by throughout both of its seasons, and personally, I think that there are a lot more stories to tell here, so hopefully Amazon is going to give it more life in the coming days. With that said, this is clearly a show that has a lot of opposition, and while I don't understand it, this season is probably not going to change those people's opinions. However, this finale certainly put a nice bow on a season that has been entertaining and full of some spectacular visuals.
This show has really pushed the boundaries on what can be done on a television scale, and with the big pockets of Amazon behind it, they have pulled off some truly incredible sequences. The previous episode had huge battle sequences almost constantly, and there is some carryover here. It opens with an impressive visual feat that just looks jaw-dropping as it did back in the days, and the battles continue to roar in explosive fashion, rooted in a very nice battle between Galadriel and Sauron. The episode features some reveals that have been brewing for a long time, and while it may have come just a smitch later than would have been preferred, all of it came with a lot of satisfaction and some great character moments to boost. With that said, some of these characters feel like they have played their part and would probably not be that important for future seasons, although they'll probably be brought back. There are also some satisfying closure to the storylines set in Khazad-dûm and Pelargir, with the Númenor storyline still leaving a few things to be desired. And the episode features one of the season's biggest weaknesses, which has unfortunately been the character of Galadriel. Not that she's not still a great inclusion, and Morfydd Clark is still doing brilliant work, but the writing for her has been wildly inconsistent throughout with many of her decisions coming off as confusing and nonsensical. However, it's a small part to take away from an altogether solid episode and season.
"Shadow and Flame" offers significant closure to major storylines and progresses the plot forward in interesting fashion, guided by some truly spectacular action sequences. There are still some issues to be dealt with in terms of the writing, but the episode (and the season overall) was a solid payoff and setup for a lot of things.
